The Terrakeet

February 15, 2025
What's a creature with an undeserved bad rap to do? The Finlocks, a peaceful, pink-skinned, island-dwelling family, spend their time "lomfing" (lounging) and fishing, cooking, and eating "fronds" (little fish). Content with their predictable lifestyle, they never leave home and hope never to encounter the terrifying Terrakeet, an enormous, feathered, fanged beast--whom they've never seen but who's purported to "feast on morgish treats of meat and bones," after which he roars. (Kids will appreciate this sound, which resounds over several pages in huge black capitals.) One day, when no fronds can be caught, the youngest Finlock leaves home and smells something. Emerging from the woods, he sees the Terrakeet cooking! Bees suddenly swarm the beast, who weeps with fear. Fortunately, the bees, disliking the Terrakeet's fire, fly off, allowing the pair to meet. The Terrakeet invites the child to dine. The boy is amazed by his host's congeniality; this creature isn't frightening at all. Back home, he tells his family "not to say bad things about the Terrakeet," his new friend. This entertaining Australian import, expressed in peppy rhymes, incorporates several humorous invented words, reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's work; one actuallyis Carroll's--galumphing, from "Jabberwocky." The book offers a good takeaway: Get acquainted with people before believing negative things said about them by others, who may not even know them. The appealing watercolor-and-ink illustrations combine humor, charm, and pathos.(This review was updated to correct the illustrator's name.)A lighthearted tale with an important, pointed message.(Picture book. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 1, 2025

K-Gr 2-The Finlock family leads a rather idyllic life on a peaceful beach with only one terror to haunt them: the ferocious Terrakeet. From what they have heard this beast will gobble them up, and that threat motivates them to stay far away from where he is said to live. One day a young member of the family roams further than usual and eventually comes upon the Terrakeet just as a swarm of bees scares the creature, a large one-winged bird, to tears. They share a meal: "The beast, he really isn't scary. It's just the legends that make us wary." Watercolor and ink illustrations capture both the idyllic scene and the fearsome beast in both imagination and reality, which turns out to be a tall green bird with a large round bottom and a propensity for tearing up in a charming way. The message of being afraid of those we do not know bears repeating, and this delivers the message with a bit of spine-tingling fear at the story's beginning, followed by a welcome denouement. VERDICT Friends are simply strangers we have yet to meet; the endearing beast and a message will encourage readers to learn and engage with new things other than react with dread. For all collections.-John Scott

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 4, 2025
Grades K-3 Written in amusing verse studded with nonsensical words, this Australian import channels Carroll's "Jabberwocky." It begins with a family of Finlocks (humans in patterned shirts and straw hats) lomfing (lounging) and catching fronds (fish) on the beach. Content with their lives, they do not explore beyond their home, dreading an encounter with the terrifying Terrakeet. "They've never seen this dreadful beast / but it's been said he likes to feast / on morgish treats of meat and bones, / and when his belly's full he groans." One day, the youngest Finlock decides to wander the island, where he, indeed, stumbles upon the hulking, green-feathered form of the Terrakeet--who starts crying at the sight of some bees. Friendship quickly replaces fear as the two share a meal together. The illustrations' subdued watercolors and delicate ink lines set the summery scene, while cartoonish touches, such as animals with oversized eyes and the Terreakeet's ridiculous toothy beak, inject humor. An entertaining tale about giving others a chance and an example of the wonderful things that can happen when venturing outside your comfort zone.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.